"A team merge? That's way too sudden!"
"And it's totally unfair to us!"
"Even if the number of guilds doesn't match, shouldn't they just eliminate the last-place team?"
Future Makarov's announcement stirred up heated discussion throughout the tavern.
Mirajane and Erza both calmed down, their brows furrowing simultaneously in surprise.
Chase, standing between them, also looked taken aback—but what caught his attention wasn't the merge itself, but the timing of the announcement.
If he remembered correctly, this was supposed to be announced after tomorrow's competition events, wasn't it?
After a brief moment of thought, Chase quickly figured out the root cause of this change:
Compared to the original timeline, thanks to their influence as time travelers, Fairy Tail's performance over the first three days had been far too outstanding—practically invincible.
This had, to some extent, crushed the morale of the lower-ranked guilds (like Quartet Cerberus), turning what should have been an exciting Grand Magic Games into a foregone conclusion—not what the organizers (the King) had originally hoped for.
"Well, no need to get so worked up. This isn't necessarily a bad thing for us."
Future Makarov made his way through the crowd and hopped onto the tavern counter with practiced ease. "Not only can we form an even stronger team, but we'll also have more flexible substitutes!"
At that, Future Macao, Future Levy, and the others brightened up.
Combining the S-class monsters from both Teams A and B into a single new team would actually increase their chances of victory significantly.
Even though the organizers had made this decision to reduce the number of teams, it might end up plunging the other guilds into even deeper despair!
After weighing the pros and cons, the crowd's excitement gradually settled into calm, corners of their mouths turning up.
"No way! Old man, I won't accept this!"
Natsu jumped out, his face full of dissatisfaction. "If we merge, I won't get to beat that bastard Chase and his team!"
His limited brain cells couldn't grasp the implications of the merge—he was simply pissed at losing the chance to punish Chase.
"I agree. We've got an eight-point lead over the fire-breathing idiot's team!" Gajeel chimed in.
Juvia, meanwhile, stared intently at Future Lucy with a look of pure regret and disappointment.
Future Lucy broke out in goosebumps under her gaze. "Wh-Why are you staring at me?!"
"Inspired by Mira's performance in Pandemonium, I was planning to crush her in the upcoming events and show my charm to both Gray-samas!" Juvia said darkly, voicing her inner thoughts.
"How many times do I have to tell you—don't treat me as a love rival!"
Future Lucy crossed her arms and shouted. "And 'both Grays' or whatever—aren't you being way too greedy?!"
"Ehehe~ because Gray-sama and Gray-sama are one and the same, right~"
Juvia instantly shifted into fangirl mode, hearts in her eyes as she mimicked Erza's earlier words.
"...Can't you learn something good?!"
"We feel the same way. Carla is Carla, after all~" x2
"Get lost!" x2
On the counter, Future Makarov cleared his throat twice, cutting off the fangirl and the dead cat's fantasies.
"Well... about the punishment."
He clasped his hands behind his back, putting on a regretful expression as he looked at Natsu and Gajeel. "It's a shame, but it's the organizers' decision—there's nothing we can do but cancel it."
Natsu and Gajeel drooped their heads in defeat, clenching their fists as they prepared to accept reality.
Chase, who was holding little Asuka, suddenly walked over with a smile. "Old man, after the first day of the Grand Magic Games, didn't you guys start a bet on which team would win—A or B?"
At those words, Future Makarov's composure crumbled, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"That's right! I remember the Master bet on Team A!" Future Wakaba exclaimed in realization.
"He even said Team A had better odds and he could make a killing!"
Future Macao stepped forward and elbowed Future Makarov. "Third Master, you're not trying to weasel out of it just because Team B has the advantage, are you?"
The entire tavern immediately turned suspicious eyes on Future Makarov.
Little Asuka, still in Chase's arms, rolled her eyes and said in her sweet voice, "Grandpa Master, Mommy told me that going back on your word is bad!"
Future Makarov shot Chase a death glare: You evil, scheming card brat!
"Fine, fine. The internal competition stays as is—Teams A and B will continue to compete."
Having been caught red-handed, he swallowed his regret and gave a stern warning. "But you must ensure Fairy Tail wins the championship above all else!"
"Of course!!" *n
The passionate gamblers and members of both teams cheered loudly, their fighting spirit reignited.
"Hehehe, you finally got screwed over by that little bastard Chase too~" Old Makarov laughed heartily from inside the card.
Even though he'd also bet on Team A for the high odds, watching his other self look so painfully resigned somehow felt incredibly satisfying!
Just then, the wooden door was gently pushed open.
"Still the same as always—noisy no matter what time it is..."
Future Yajima walked in with a smile.
The tavern fell silent. Natsu and the others recognized him and greeted him warmly.
"Little Ya? What brings you here?"
Future Makarov was startled and hopped off the counter to greet him.
"The lodging the organizers arranged isn't far from here. I had nothing better to do, so I figured I'd drop by." Future Yajima waved his hand.
"Haha, welcome, welcome! These brats are driving me crazy—come on, let's go to the private room and have a proper drink!"
Having been friends for decades, Future Makarov immediately detected something unusual beneath his casual tone.
Future Yajima had the same intention and didn't refuse.
And so, under everyone's watchful eyes, the two old men headed up to the second floor.
"How strange—was Mr. Yajima always someone who liked quiet?" Future Lucy asked in confusion.
"He probably has something important to discuss," Mirajane said.
"Hehe, Happy, let's go eavesdrop!"
Natsu's eyes lit up immediately. He grabbed Happy and prepared to sneak after them.
One punch from Erza the disciplinary committee member later, both boy and cat were down for the count.
"As expected, we can't hide anything from old man Yajima..." Chase sighed, having roughly guessed the reason.
Because of the seven-year gap, others might not notice anything unusual, but Future Yajima was an exception.
After three days of the Grand Magic Games, there was no way he hadn't noticed something.
That being said, Chase wasn't worried about exposing the other world—even if Yajima knew the truth, he would keep it a secret.
Or rather, the old man had come specifically out of concern for Fairy Tail!
With that thought, Chase glanced sideways at Natsu and the others.
"I found something interesting while wandering around the Grand Magic Games venue today. Want to check it out?"
It was already late at night on the third day, and Princess Hisui still hadn't made any move.
Though he was fairly certain this future didn't contain the "10,000 dragons destroy the world" scenario involving Future Rogue and Future Lucy—
Still, better safe than sorry. He figured it was worth investigating.
***
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